Ceramic product.



CFFICE.

MAURICE MARC ERAN, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

CERAMIC PRODUCT.

Specification of Letters Patent,

' Patented July 31, 1906.-

Application filed October 28, 1905. Serial No. 284.874.

To all ulhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MAURICE MARC M1 3- RAN, manufacturer, of 155 Rue du Faubourg Poissonnire, in the city of Paris, Republic of France, have invented a Ceramic Product, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

It is known that while the silicates of alumina,with which ordinary ceramic products are manufactured, will not withstand the action of acids or of bases, the silicates of magnesia, on the contrary, are not attacked by acids or bases. It is therefore very important to incorporate these silicates of magnesia employed pure with ceramic products intended to serve as porous artitions or vessels in electrolytic baths, atteries, ac cumulators, &c. Now the silicates of magnesia'such as asbestos, steatite, talc, serpentine, &c.when employed pure are not well adapted for the formation of a ceramic product. They are worked with difliculty, because they are wanting in plasticity, and after firing they do not present much strength unless they are raised to a temperature sufficient to vitrify them; but in this case they lose their natural formation and are no longer porous. If attempts are made to obviate this difficulty by mixing them with silicates of alumina, so as to impart to them the plas ticity required and also the necessary strength after firing, while at the same time leaving them porous, products containing alumina are obtained which are attacked by acids and bases and give alumina salts.

The present invention has for its object a ceramic product constituted by ma nesia silicates employed pure, but nevert eless presenting sufficient plasticity before firing and great strength when they have been fired. This ceramic product is obtained by the mixture of asbestos (double silicate of lime and magnesia) and of steatite, (trisili cate of magnesia,) which is very finely pulverized and intimately mixed to form a paste in the manneremployedin ceramics. The paste thus obtained is readily worked either by casting or molding. This paste fired at a high temperature, but one which is lower than the vitrification temperature, gives a strong, solid, and porous biscuit, which is not attacked by acids and bases, since it contalns only silicates-of magnesia. This novel ceramic product is of a very fine paste, and although very porous it is impenetrable by the smallest corpuscles, crystals, and salts. It therefore gives the best results in its application to electrolyzers and batteries and also furnishes excellent filtering partitions for the filtration of bases and-acids, beverages, waters, and all liquids. It may be employed in all electrolytic baths, assures the contact of the liquids,.while at the same time separating the electrolytes, opposes the smallest resistance tothe passage of the current, and owing to Its contexture and its exceedingly fine and numerous pores it provides ra id filtratlon, while opposing the passage 0 corpuscles or microbes of the greatesttenuity.

The preferred proportions to be employed are seventy er cent. of asbestos and thirty er cent. of steatite. These figures may,

however, vary according to circumstances without modifying the principleof the 111- vention. The first burning or biscuit of this pottery may be provided with an approprlate coating or enamel.

I claim 1. The ceramic process which consists n mixing a double silicate of lime and magnesla with a trisilicate of magnesia to form a plastic paste and the said paste.

2. The ceramic process which consists in forming a plastic paste of a mixture of asbestos an steatite, and firing at a temperature below the vitrifying-point.

The foregoing specification of my'ceramic product signed by me this 16th day of October, 1905.

MAURICE MARC .MERAN. [1 s] Witnesses: F. W. OAULDWELL, MAURICE H. PIGNET. 

